Coasters are often used under the legs of a piece of furniture to act as a buffer between the legs and the floor on which the piece of furniture rests. Typically, coasters take the form of glass or rubber discs having flat bottoms that rest on the floor. By positioning the coasters between the furniture legs and the floor, the weight of the furniture leg is dispersed over a larger area such that the furniture leg does not scratch or mar the floor when the piece of furniture is moved or leave a depression in the floor when the piece of furniture remains in one place for an extended period of time.
In addition, furniture glides or sliders have been developed that are also positioned between the legs of a piece of furniture and the carpeting on which the piece of furniture rests. By way of example, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,705 discloses a furniture glide that facilitates the movement of a piece of furniture on carpeted and bare floors. The furniture glide includes a convo-convex disc having an arcuate convex lower surface, a concave upper surface defining a central cavity, and resilient pad fixed to the disc upper surface within the central cavity below the edge thereof. Adhesive is provided for securing the resilient pad to the bottom of the piece of furniture or to the leg of the piece of furniture.
While functional for its intended purpose, the furniture glide disclosed in the Bushey '705 patent has certain limitations. More specifically, repeated movement of a piece of furniture along a floor may cause the adhesive to fail such that the resilient pad becomes detached from the bottom of the piece of furniture. As a result, the furniture glide may become separated from the piece of furniture such that the bottom of piece of furniture may engage and damage the flooring. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a furniture glide and/or coaster that may be simply secured to a bottom of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture rests.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be securely retained on a leg of a piece of furniture.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to utilize.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be utilized on the leg of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture sits.
In accordance with the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting on a terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having a generally arcuate lower surface for engaging a supporting surface and a sleeve extending from the base. The sleeve defines a cavity for receiving the furniture leg therein. The sleeve has an adjustable portion for accommodating furniture legs of different dimensions within the cavity.
The adjustable portion of the sleeve includes a plurality of flexible depressions extending into the cavity. The depressions define corresponding inner surfaces for engagement with the furniture leg. It is contemplated that the depressions communicate with the upper edge of the sleeve. Alternatively, the adjustable portion of the sleeve may include a plurality of resilient projections extending radially inward from the upper edge of the sleeve for engaging the outer surface of the furniture leg and retaining the furniture leg in the cavity.
The base of the furniture glide may include a backing layer having an inner surface directed towards the cavity of the sleeve and an outer surface. A pad may be fixed to the outer surface of the backing layer to prevent marring of the supporting surface. The sleeve is generally tubular and includes an upper edge and a lower edge and is defined by an inner surface and an outer surface. The base may include an outer periphery affixed to the inner surface of the sleeve at the location adjacent the lower edge of the sleeve. Alternatively, the base may be affixed to the outer surface of the sleeve at a location adjacent the lower edge of the sleeve. The sleeve may also include a plurality of flutes formed therein that extend from the upper edge to the lower edge thereof. The plurality of flutes in the sleeve are generally parallel to each other.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having a generally arcuate lower surface for engaging the supporting surface and an arcuate inner surface for engagement with the terminal end of the furniture leg. A sleeve extends from the base and has an inner surface that defines a cavity for receiving the furniture leg therein. The sleeve includes a leg engagement element for engaging the furniture leg within the cavity.
The leg engagement element may include a plurality of flexible projections that extend into the cavity to engage the furniture leg received in the cavity. The projections may intersect the upper end of the sleeve, or alternatively, project radially inward from the upper edge.
The base of the furniture glide may include a backing layer having an inner surface directed towards the cavity of the sleeve and an outer surface. A pad is affixed to the outer surface of the backing layer. The outer periphery of the base may be affixed to the inner surface of the sleeve at a location adjacent the lower edge thereof.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting on a terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a slider having a lower surface for engaging a supporting surface and an inner surface for engagement with the terminal end of the furniture leg. A leg connection member is interconnected to the slider and retains the furniture glide on the furniture leg.
The leg connection member includes a generally tubular sleeve having a plurality of flexible projections projecting from the inner surface thereof. The projections engage the furniture leg received in the cavity. The slider includes a backing layer having an inner surface for engagement with the furniture leg and an outer surface. A pad is affixed to the outer surface of the backing layer. The outer periphery of the slider may be affixed to the inner surface of the leg connection member at a location adjacent its lower edge. It is contemplated to provide a plurality of flutes in the leg connection member.